State Highway 1 between Taupō and Turangi will be fully closed between 8.30am and 4pm on Tuesday 3 October and Wednesday 4 October for the recovery of a truck trailer, which rolled down the bank at Te Pōporo, Bulli Point next to Lake Taupō on Tuesday.
The cab of the truck was successfully removed last Tuesday (26 September) but the trailer couldn’t be safely retrieved without the risk of its 27 Tonne load of frozen goods ending up in the lake.
On Tuesday 3 October there will be a full closure of SH1 between Taupō and Turangi to offload the cargo by hand. The trailer is sitting on a steep bank and is not easily accessible. A crane is needed to anchor the trailer so the salvage crew can safely move the goods.
Unfortunately the highway is too narrow here to enable vehicles (including emergency services) to pass the cranes.
On Wednesday 4 October the full closure is required for the retrieval of the trailer.
No contaminants from the truck has made its way to water.
The detour for northbound traffic is turn left onto State Highway 41 at Turangi, then right onto State Highway 32 along the western side of the lake and turn right onto Marotiri Road, turn right again on Poihipi Road, left onto Oranui Road and right onto Link Road to return to SH1 north of Taupō. Southbound traffic will take the same route but in reverse.
Road users should expect some delays past the existing slip site on SH41, which will be changed from traffic signals to manual stop/go traffic control to minimise the disruption.
The detour is suitable for HPMV trucks.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency thanks road users for their patience.
